Phiaton Fusion MS 430 M-Series Carbon Fiber Headphone Review

Phiaton has been making a name for themselves in the headphone market with their high end audio quality and mechanical beauty. Their latest release is on-ear headphones: the MS 430-M series. Impressively, they feature a carbon fiber build that helps keep them tough and light. The MS 430s also feature 40mm drivers, a fold and go design, ambidextrous cable inputs, and an inline ControlTalk with microphone.

The Phiaton Fusion MS 430’s are on-ear headphones with donut shaped earcups. They rock a premium appearance, with mostly premium materials. Each earphone has a carbon fiber exterior. The band is made of a titanium anodized aluminum, and covered in silicon rubber and plastic. There’s red accenting that peeks through on the top of the band. The earcups are padded with an ultra soft cushion and (faux?) leather. The cushions are really soft and a bit more comfortable than your average on-ear headphones.

These Phiatons are extra portable, and fold up quite nicely. It helps that the headband is tough and flexible. Each earcup folds up into the headband and swivels 90 degrees. There’s a protective pouch included.

The cable is made of a thick red rubber and does not easily tangle. It’s also OFC, so it’s made with oxygen-free copper (for minimal audio distortion). It plugs into either earcup — whichever is most convenient. You can also use this feature to daisy chain two pairs of headphones to one audio source. The cable rocks an inline ControlTalk with a universal button and a volume slider. The volume slider is independent from your phone’s (or device’s) volume.

The MS-430s have a really premium look and feel (especially with the carbon fiber), but there’s still a bit of plastic being used. The plastic doesn’t look so bad, but it brings the build quality down a tad. It’s used around the headband hinges and causes (painful) squeaking sounds when the earcups swivel.

Phiaton’s sound quality is usually as impressive as their build, and it holds up with these MS-430s. They sound amazing. They produce a very full range sound with a lot of detail. These headphones sounded great on every device we used, and the streaming audio sounded great too. Having an amplifier helps, but didn’t make a huge difference. There’s some really nice bass that’s warm and not overwhelming. The mids are really well balanced and detailed. Phiaton describes their highs as “sparkling”, which is pretty accurate. They’re nice and crisp. They’re very fair to all types of genres. These are great everyday headphones for an everyday person.

Verdict

Phiaton is still a little ways away from becoming a household name in the headphone market, but they’re getting there. You get a lot of value with their heapdhones. These Phiaton Fusion MS 430 M-Series Carbon Fibers sell for $149.00 on Amazon.com, which is a pretty fair price. Other than some squeaky hinges (which is hopefully just our model), these are ideal everyday headphones with premium audio and a premium build.